ACTIVITIES

PRODUCTS

ACTIVITIES

PRODUCTS

The Blizzard Process

Blizzard Flipcore technology revolutionized the freeride category in 2010. Since then, we’ve come to better understand how different people ski and have built our 2017-18 collection to meet the specific needs and wants of today’s all-mountain and freeride skiers.Everything is new: new molds, new materials, new processes and new Flipcore technologies. This effort represents the most extensive development and testing prototype program in Blizzard’s 70-year history. The result isn’t just a better ski, it’s a total transformation of the skier experience.

To properly develop our new Freeride collection, we embarked on the most extensive prototyping and testing process in our history. The demands of today’s skiers are greater and more diverse than ever before. This process demanded that we test, adjust and retest with the widest possible range of skiers. From Freeride World Tour Champions to ski shop employees, Alaskan heli guides to our Women to Women initiative, Blizzard’s internal product development team received layer upon layer of critical input that validated this new collection. Listening, learning and innovating are the keys to bringing this process — and this collection — to life. The challenge is not just to make Freeride skis that we love, but to make skis that everyone loves.

The Process is ever evolving, but more than ever before it is the endless hours and days of research and concept development that sets us up for effective protoytype testing. The culmination of award winning execution can only happen with an educated and vetted refinemnet of the ultimate design for each specific product.

A design and concept center can happen anywhere at anytime. Our team continues to expand and now includes a more diverse and complete representation of the ski community. We have learned that we must take our workspace on the road in order to bring back to Austria all the necessary information to continually evolve our skis.

Jed Duke discusses with team riders and our Heli Guide partners from ARG in Alaska about specific adjustments to make after testing a second series Spur prototype in the Chugach mountains.

Leslie Baker-Brown from the United States evaluates Black Pearl and Sheeva prototypes with European athlete Angelika Kaufman while on a Women to Women's specific event in Portillo, Chile. Leslie is the
Women to Women North American Project Leader,
and much of the continued success of our women's products comes from her trips and shared experiences like this one in South America.

We tested all over the world: Chile, North America, Italy, Austria, but it was our partnership with Alaska Rendezvous Heli guides that ensured we had captured the soft snow experience we wanted for Spur, Rustler 11 and Sheeva 11.

This continuous journey to adapt and play with shapes and materials is exciting and fun for our product and testing team. And with so much proven experience and now an open eye on a limitless future of opportunities, Blizzard promises to always be searching for ways to improve the skier experience.